Maybe it’s method acting, or maybe it’s something about coming up in the world of wrestling—where loyalty to the bosses is prized even more highly than the ability to execute a precision-perfect body slam—but John Cena really has the good company man patter down tight. This is per EW, which recently talked to several of the principals behind shuttered-then-resurrected comedy movie Coyote Vs. Acme, all of whom were pretty open about the extremely human irritations of having their hard work briefly turned into a line item on Warner Bros.’ corporate balance sheet. Except, of course, for Cena, who appears to have acceptance of this kind of thing just drilled deep into his brain at this point, downplaying the very idea he’d be mad about any of this because, after all, ” I don’t own my performance.”
And, again, the
Peacemaker star’s playing what’s essentially the bad guy in this thing, as the defense attorney representing the Warner Bros.-esque ACME Corporation in its defense against litigious Southwestern wildlife and their plucky lawyer, Will Forte. (Who has
not been quite as equanimous about the tax write-off situation, telling reporters he’d felt “white hot anger” at the movie’s treatment by CEO David Zaslav before it was ultimately saved by Ketchup Entertainment.) So maybe Cena’s just
Jeremy Strong-won’t-stop-talking-in-a-Polish-accent deep into the corporate yes-man mindest at this point. Honestly, though, we don’t want to put words in Cena’s mouth here—and not just because we’re genuinely worried at this point that he might be some kind of robot. So, here’s a quick window into the world of making art, John Cena-style:
I am hired by an employer to do a task, and it’s my job to prepare as much as I can, be early, be coachable, be passionate, and be reliable. I do that and hope for the best. Those expectations are beyond my control, so it doesn’t make me view the business any differently. Keep in mind, it is the movie business. Sometimes, business decisions are things that we don’t see through the same lens. Of course, I want my work seen by an audience. That’s how I can accept both the positive and the negative and get better as a performer. But I don’t own my performance. I’m contracted to do a job, and the person who owns it gets to decide what happens with it.
Which is all legally true, but also: Goddamn, dude! Cena then attempted to pivot to yet more relatability, comparing his situation to the normal, everyday interaction between a custom car creator and the private car collector patronizing them. “I can put my heart and soul into it, 2,000 hours worth of craftsmanship on this thing, and you take the keys and put it in your garage for no one to see. You own it; you can do whatever you want with it.” Cena got a little touchy-feely by noting that the movie’s fate can’t impact the relationships he formed while making it (“I got to be there on the ground with people who made me better and people I care about”), but it’s simply wild to see someone take so little pride in the end result of their hard work; it’s like they finally bred a roadrunner that just automatically catches itself.
Keep scrolling for more great stories.